Porsche’s new Macan is entirely electric, without an optional internal combustion powertrain offered. The next-generation 718 Boxster and Cayman were also once slated to go “exclusively” electric, per Porsche CEO Oliver Blume. However, there’s a chance that both nameplates could still return to dino juice, as another Porsche exec has stated the company’s intent to develop gas-burning “derivatives” of EVs, thanks to the flexibility of its Leipzig plant.
“On our electrified cars, I mentioned already that we are very flexible when it comes to our production footprint. We can produce combustion engine, plug-in hybrids, and electrified cars in one production line in Leipzig,” said Lutz Meschke, Porsche deputy chairman and finance board member, during a recent earnings call following the company’s Q3 financial report. “And when it comes to research and development, then you will see also flexibility in the upcoming years in the direction that we will develop also new combustion-engine derivatives in order to give the right answer to customer demand in the different world regions.”
While Meschke didn’t explicitly name which electric Porsches will see engines, the point he emphasized about Porsche having the ability to deliver multiple types of powertrains from a single production line is telling. The Leipzig factory manufactures the Porsche Macan, Cayenne, and Panamera. Admittedly, the Panamera and Cayenne offer both hybrid and combustion-only powertrains, so the talk of swapping them on one line could just be about those cars. However, considering how Meschke specifically highlighted “new” derivatives across all three types of propulsion, this could be a hint that the Macan may yet again get a gas engine going forward.
Up until now, the new Macan generation was expected to only be electric, as the brand sought to electrify 80% of its lineup by 2030. However, Porsche recently made a course correction. “The transition to electric cars is taking longer than we thought five years ago,” the company said in a July statement, according to Reuters. With that recent decision to walk back its lofty EV goals, a gasoline-powered Macan variant makes a lot of sense. “Our double strategy is more important than ever,” said Porsche.
It also stands to reason that, if the Macan is getting a double or even triple-powertrain strategy, the 718 pair could adopt something similar. Especially if customer demand for the electric Boxster and Cayman aren’t what Porsche had hoped for.
However, there’s a teeny, tiny problem: If Porsche wants to stuff gas engines in the new Macan EV and an electric two-door sports car, it might have to build entirely new models. The Macan Electric is built on the VW Group’s new PPE (Premium Platform Electric) chassis, which is a purpose-built platform for EVs, and it’s unclear if it’s compatible with conventional powertrains. As for the electric 718, that’s said to be built on a bespoke chassis, so that Porsche can make it as light and nimble as possible. Again, we don’t know if it can house a piston engine.
That’s not to say it’s impossible. At present, Porsche sells both the new electric and old gasoline-powered Macans in North America, which are built on different chassis. So Porsche may decide to build a previously unplanned successor to the gas-powered Macan to be sold alongside the new electric one. Perhaps the same could be said for the new Boxster and Cayman, if customers demand it.
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